Carne Asada

A delicious carne asada recipe goes good with any burrito bar, but carne asada is equally good served with nothing more than a cold beer.

What to buy: We like this recipe made with Dos Equis beer, but any brand will work. Just don’t use a really dark beer or an IPA, which will make it bitter.

Game plan: You can make this dish ahead of time and warm it when you are ready to eat. If you decide to do that, cook the meat to medium rare, about 5 minutes per side, and then warm it over medium-low heat with the reduced marinade juices.

Instructions

1Combine 2 cups of the beer, the lime juice, lemon juice, garlic, onion, and measured pepper in a large, nonreactive bowl and mix. Add the flank steak, cover, place in the refrigerator, and marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

2When ready to cook the meat, heat a grill to high (about 500°F). Remove the meat from the marinade (reserving the marinade juices), pat it dry, and season well with salt.

3Transfer the marinade to a medium saucepan, add the remaining 1/2 cup beer, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam or impurities that come to the surface, and let the mixture reduce by half, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, mix in the brown sugar, and season well with salt and pepper.

4Place the meat on the grill and cook to medium, about 7 to 10 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. If serving as a main, slice the steak against the grain into 1-inch strips; if serving as a filling for tacos or burritos, coarsely chop. Place in a serving dish and cover with the reduced marinade juices.

Beverage pairing:Sol Cerveza, Mexico. A great Mexican meat dish calls for nothing more complicated or intense than a good, clean Mexican lager. Drip some lime into the beer to bring out its bright, citrus tang and it will make a thirst-quenching and mouth-refreshing gulp after each bite of steak.